Transmission terminal, transmission system and recording medium

Abstract

A transmission terminal includes an authentication unit that determines, when the transmission terminal is not connected to a network, whether authentication of a storage medium is confirmed based on authentication information stored in a storage unit and authentication information read from the storage medium, and transmits, when the transmission terminal is connected to the network, an authentication request containing the authentication information read from the storage medium to an authentication device connected to the network, and a maintenance unit that alters maintenance functions executable on the transmission terminal based on whether authentication of the storage medium is confirmed based on the authentication information stored in the storage unit or a notice indicating that authentication of the storage medium is confirmed is received from the authentication device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A transmission terminal, comprising:
 a detachable-storage interface to which a first storage is detachably attached, the first storage storing first information; 
 a second storage configured to store second information; and 
 circuitry configured to
 determine whether the transmission terminal is connected to a network; 
 determine, when the transmission terminal is not connected to the network, whether an offline maintenance process is authorized according to the second information stored in the second storage and the first information read from the first storage; 
 maintain performance of the transmission terminal, when the offline maintenance process is determined to be authorized, by utilizing the offline maintenance process according to first instructions stored in the second storage; 
 transmit, when the transmission terminal is connected to the network, an authentication request to an authentication device connected to the network; 
 receive an authentication message from the authentication device in response to the transmitted authentication request; 
 maintain performance of the transmission terminal, when the authentication message indicates that an online maintenance process is authorized, by utilizing the online maintenance process according to second instructions received from the authentication device; 
 perform a videoconference process when the offline maintenance process is determined to be not authorized; and 
 perform the videoconference process when the authentication message indicates that an online maintenance process is not authorized. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The transmission terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein when the circuitry receives the second instructions from the authentication device, the circuitry stores the second instructions in the second storage. 
     
     
       3. The transmission terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein
 when the authentication message indicates that the online maintenance process is authorized, the circuitry replaces the first instructions stored in the second storage with the second instructions received from the authentication device. 
 
     
     
       4. The transmission terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein when the circuitry performs the offline maintenance process, the circuitry further performs an additional maintenance process according to additional instructions stored in the first storage. 
     
     
       5. A transmission system, comprising:
 a detachable-storage interface to which a first storage is detachably attached, the first storage storing first information; 
 a second storage configured to store second information; 
 first circuitry configured to
 determine whether a transmission terminal is connected to a network; 
 perform, when the transmission terminal is not connected to the network, a first authentication process to determine whether an offline maintenance process is authorized according to the second information stored in the second storage and the first information read from the first storage; 
 maintain, when the offline maintenance process is determined to be authorized, performance of the transmission terminal by utilizing the offline maintenance process according to first instructions stored in the second storage; 
 transmit, when the transmission terminal is connected to the network, an authentication request including the first information read from the first storage to an authentication device connected to the network; 
 receive an authentication message from the authentication device in response to the transmitted authentication request; 
 maintain, when the authentication message indicates that an online maintenance process is authorized, performance of the transmission terminal by utilizing the online maintenance process according to second instructions received from the authentication device; 
 perform a videoconference process when the offline maintenance process is determined to be not authorized; and 
 perform the videoconference process when the authentication message indicates that an online maintenance process is not authorized; and 
 
 second circuitry configured to
 determine, when the first information is received from the transmission terminal in response to the authentication request, whether the online maintenance process was determined to be authorized by the first circuitry according to the authentication message received from the authentication device; and 
 transmit an authentication result to the transmission terminal. 
 
 
     
     
       6. A transmission method which is performed by a transmission terminal, the method comprising:
 reading first information stored in a first storage attached to a detachable-storage interface of the transmission terminal; 
 determining, by circuitry of the transmission terminal, whether the transmission terminal is connected to a network; 
 performing, by the circuitry when the transmission terminal is not connected to the network, an authentication process to determine whether an offline maintenance process is authorized according to second information stored in a second storage and the first information read from the first storage; 
 maintaining, by the circuitry when the offline maintenance process is determined to be authorized, performance of the transmission terminal by utilizing the offline maintenance process according to first instructions stored in the second storage; 
 transmitting, when the transmission terminal is connected to the network, an authentication request to an authentication device connected to the network; 
 receiving an authentication message from the authentication device in response to the transmitted authentication request; 
 maintaining, by the circuitry when the authentication message indicates that an online maintenance process is authorized, performance of the transmission terminal by utilizing the online maintenance process according to second instructions received from the authentication device; 
 performing, by the circuitry, a videoconference process when the offline maintenance process is determined to be not authorized; and 
 performing, by the circuitry, the videoconference process when the authentication message indicates that an online maintenance process is not authorized. 
 
     
     
       7. The transmission terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein the authentication request, transmitted by the circuitry to the authentication device, includes the first information. 
     
     
       8. The transmission terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to perform the offline maintenance process when the authentication message indicates that an online maintenance process is not authorized. 
     
     
       9. The transmission terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the circuitry performs the authentication process to determine whether an offline maintenance process is authorized by comparing the first information with the second information, and 
 the circuitry determines that the offline maintenance process is authorized when the first information matches the second information. 
 
     
     
       10. The transmission terminal according to  claim 7 , wherein the authentication message, transmitted by the authentication device to the circuitry, is based on the first information. 
     
     
       11. The transmission system according to  claim 5 , wherein when the first circuitry receives the second instructions from the authentication device, the first circuitry stores the second instructions in the second storage. 
     
     
       12. The transmission system according to  claim 5 , wherein when the authentication message indicates that the online maintenance process is authorized, the first circuitry replaces the first instructions stored in the second storage with the second instructions received from the authentication device. 
     
     
       13. The transmission system according to  claim 5 , wherein when the first circuitry performs the offline maintenance process, the first circuitry performs an additional maintenance process according to additional instructions stored in the first storage. 
     
     
       14. The transmission system according to  claim 5 , wherein the authentication request, transmitted by the first circuitry to the authentication device, includes the first information. 
     
     
       15. The transmission system according to  claim 14 , wherein the authentication message, transmitted by the authentication device to the first circuitry, is based on the first information. 
     
     
       16. The transmission system according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the first circuitry performs the authentication process to determine whether an offline maintenance process is authorized by comparing the first information with the second information, and 
 the first circuitry determines that the offline maintenance process is authorized when the first information matches the second information.